Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Donald Trump's approval rating is 47%. Barack Obama's approval rating at the same point of his presidency (1 June 2012) was 48%.

Sleepy Joe Biden’s people are so Radical Left that they are working to get the Anarchists out of jail, and probably more. Joe doesn’t know anything about it, he is clueless, but they will be the real power, not Joe. They will be calling the shots! Big tax increases for all, Plus!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 1, 2020

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Companies such as Facebook and Twitter are private entities and receive the same constitutional protections that citizens do. Moreover, they receive protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act because they are platforms and not publishers.

Simply providing a fact check on a post or tweet is not violating anyone’s rights, nor interfering in an election. Rather, fact checks help citizens make informed decisions, especially in the upcoming election.

President Donald Trump’s executive order is simply a baseless, childish abuse of power. (May 29, KansasCity.com, “Twitter obscures, warns on Trump tweet ‘glorifying violence’”) Still, if the executive order proves ineffective or unconstitutional, it provides the groundwork for Congress to repeal Section 230. This would fundamentally transform our freedom of speech and other First Amendment rights.

This issue has already been raised. If businesses can make religious decisions, then platforms should also be allowed to regulate and fact-check, especially when posts are misleading or false.

The president must decide where he stands: for or against the Constitution—even when it may not benefit him.

Raye Shane, Kansas City

Note from KBJ: You're going to lose on this one, Raye. Write it down.

Minutes ago, a hundred yards from our house. Click to enlarge.

Today marks the completion of my 31st year as a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. I taught for a year at Texas A&M University before coming to UTA, so I'm now a 32-year veteran of the classroom.